In article <6ce70b7f-bf45-427c-8808-e4329161dc29
@e60g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>, jfurr@furrs.org says...

First, you can be pretty sure that you'll see manatees, but the big
numbers are usually gone by now. They come into the river when the gulf
gets colder, and go back when it is warmer.

Bubbles from scuba usually scares the manatees away. I've seen tour
operators who take you to wherever the manatees are to snorkel for a
bit, and then to King Spring to dive. You can go into the cavern there
if you're comfortable with it, as there is no going cave to get lost in
and you can see light from almost everywhere. There are 2 openings.

Another thing you can do near there is a drift dive in the Rainbow
River. It's shallow, but is a fun and interesting dive. It can be
arranged through any of the dive shops and is quite inexpensive, as the
boat takes you up the river and leaves you, and you drift back to your
car.

You can rent a boat at the Crystal River Lodge, but it doesn't help if
you don't know where you're going. you might try Bird's Underwater. Stay
away from American Pro Diving - it is a particularly bad operation.

If you go north a bit, there are Devil's Den, Blue Grotto, Paradise
Springs, Ginnie Springs and more. I don't know much about diving in the
Gulf in that area, so maybe someone else will chime in.

al

Jay Furr <jfurr@furrs.org> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:

I found the diving portion of a snorkel/dive Crystal River cruise to
be boring.  Diving the Rainbow River was cool though.

Dan Bracuk
Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do.

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The definitive word -- I live 5 miles from Crystal River and have
helped lead manatee tours in the past for several shops.

No shop takes Scuba Divers out on manatee tours. This strictly a
snorkel experience.

First and foremost - the manatees don't seem tolike the noise and air
bubbles produced by SCUBA. This willnot only deminish your encounter
but everyone else's as well. The manatees will simply swim away and be
gone.

Next, most of the encounter takes place in an area known as Three
Sisters Spring. This area is 3-4 feet deep in most parts (though the
three main sprinmg openings are in sand bowls dropping to about 15
feet. At these depths SCUBA is not needed.

If you want to Scuba dive, you can go back out in the afternoon.
However I do not recommend diving in Kings Bay. The visibility is awful
(often less than 2 feet) at the main spring and there isn't much to see
even when you can see. Instead I suggest you ask about a trip to nearby
Rainbow River. This is a drift dive down a spring fed river that is
truly beautiful.

Other options are Devil's Den and the Blue Grotto in Williston (about
1.5 hours north of Brooksville on US41).

As for tour operators - I first and formost suggest Birds Underwater.
They are the class act of the tours. http://www.birdsunderwater.com or
352/563-2753.  They are not the cheapest (cost is about $35 per person
plus any rental gear you need) but this is a case of you get what
youpay for. They go out early (be at the shop by 6:15am) but stay until
customers are ready to return. Boats are enclosed and light
refreshments are aboard. The boats also have a head (toilet) if needed.

Who to avoid at all costs - American Pro Dive. They are greedy, could
not care less about customer satisfaction and have been documented on
numerous occasions harrassing and abusing manatees. The local US Fish
and Wildlife office knows about it but is powerless to do anything.
Why? They do not have any law enforcement officers. The last one was
transfered out last year by it's Atlanta office and there is no funding
to place another officer here. The USFW folks here are not law
enforcement officers, they are strictly maintenance and administrative.

The offshore diving here is pretty blah and the nearest operators are
in Clearwater. Gulf diving in this area involves a one hour drive to
Clearwater, then a 2-3 hour boat ride to get to a 3-foot ledge. What I
suggest is spend the same amount of time in your car, drive to Jupiter
on the Atlantic coast and goout there. It is a 30-minute boat ride
(most time spent indoling down the intercoastal) for a 70-foot drop on
some very nice coral reefs.

Enjoy your stay

(while in Brooksville, have breakfast at Farmer John's on SR50A. It's
cash only but very good - split an Apple Pancake - delicious and will
feed 2-3.)

<http://www.birdsunderwater.com/>

John